8 dead, 20 missing as Indonesia’s unrest escalates, more protests expected

At least 20 people were missing after violent protests sparked in Indonesia by lavish perks for lawmakers that had come to include anger against police, a rights group said on Tuesday.

At least eight people had been killed since protests rocked Southeast Asia’s biggest economy last week, a senior minister said on Monday. The protests escalated after footage spread of the killing of a young delivery driver by a paramilitary police unit on Thursday night.

“As of September 1, there were 23 reports of missing persons. After the search and verification process, 20 missing persons remain unfound,” the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence said in a statement.

The group said the 20 were reported missing in the cities of Bandung and Depok on Java island, and the administrative cities of Central Jakarta, East Jakarta and North Jakarta that make up the wider capital city. One incident took place in an “unknown location”, it said.

The National Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.